Doctor Who: Jodie Whittaker confirms she’s staying on for season 12

Doctor Who fans rejoice! Jodie Whittaker has confirmed that her Thirteenth Doctor will return for at least one more season.

With rumors flying about more wildly than the TARDIS and the BBC remaining tight-lipped, many Doctor Who fans have been worried about the future of Jodie Whittaker’s tenure as The Doctor. Fortunately, those concerns can now be laid to rest.

Whittaker confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the Thirteenth Time Lord is staying on for at least another season. How’s that for some holiday cheer!

“I really can’t wait to step back in and get to work again,” Whittaker told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s such an incredible role. It’s been an extraordinary journey so far and I’m not quite ready to hand it over yet.”

While Whittaker’s departure after one season would have been surprising, it would not have been unprecedented. Christopher Eccleston, who relaunched the modern Doctor Who in 2005 as the Ninth Doctor, left the show after his debut run. His successors David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi all stayed on for three seasons each.

Whittaker’s debut season will conclude this Sunday with “The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos.” Then, she’ll be back in a few weeks for Doctor Who‘s first-ever New’s Years Day special. Season 12 will likely begin shooting soon after, sometime in early 2019, according to THR.

Whittaker portrays the first female Doctor in the show’s 55-year history. Her critically-acclaimed season 11 opener, “The Woman Who Fell to Earth,” was the most-watched premiere in the history of modern Whowith 10.9 million viewers in the UK. It was also the most-watched in-season episode of modern Who, surpassed only by holiday specials.

What have you thought of season 11? Are you excited to see more of Whittaker’s Thirteen Doctor? Let us know in the comments section below.